Portable radios are especially convenient in that they allow their users to remain in communication with others while roaming throughout a municipality, building or other facility provided with radio communication. Regrettably, many messages are missed by radio operators when they move into a high noise environment without adjusting the volume control (level) of their radios. In a high noise environment, the radio operators simply cannot hear the radio, and do not realize that they are being called. For example, an employee may customarily work in a quiet environment such as an administrative area. However, this employee may leave the administrative area to temporarily visit a manufacturing area to check on progress or resolve a problem. Unless the employee remembers to adjust the volume control (level) on his or her radio, messages may be missed while in the noisy manufacturing area. In the public safety markets, police or fire personnel have to work in both quiet and noisy environments. Depending upon the situation at hand, the firemen or officers may not appropriately adjust their radio volume as the ambient sound level varies. In extreme cases, some personnel may not respond to an emergency situation because they have not heard their radio.
Some radios have attempted to compensate for this detriment by including visual indicators that are illuminated when a call is received. However, this requires the operator to be attentive to the visual indication on the radio. In some situations, dividing the attention of a radio operator may be inappropriate or dangerous to the radio user or others. Accordingly, a need exists for a method to insure that the volume of a radio is adequately adjusted to facilitate communication.